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Level Cross Fire gets grant from Georgia-Pacific

ASHEBORO — The Level Cross Fire Department from Randleman was awarded $5,000 as one of 25 fire units across the country selected to receive a grant as part of the Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade program.

“Georgia-Pacific is proud to present the Level Cross Fire Department with this award. It will not only help purchase much needed equipment to keep our community safe, but it also serves as a token of our appreciation,” said Bill Smith, general manager for the Georgia-Pacific Asheboro packaging facility. “In many cases, this unit is a first responder in an emergency and we honor their commitment to serve.”

Since 2006, the program has supported local fire departments through more than $1 million in contributions. This includes awarding cash grants, providing safety education materials for school presentations and paying for memberships for all grant applicants to the National Volunteer Fire Council.

“We operate under a tight budget, and this Bucket Brigade grant will allow us to purchase much-needed new hoses and nozzles to help our unit more safely and efficiently respond to fires,” said Stephen Russell, Level Cross fire chief. “With this new equipment, our firefighters will experience less strain and aggravation with the task of reloading the trucks so they can focus on saving property and people. We are thankful to Georgia-Pacific for these upgrades and we are happy to serve as backup for them in extreme emergencies.”

The program is meeting critical needs particularly for fire departments in small and rural communities with a large volunteer base. Of the one million firefighters in the United States, 70 percent are volunteers, according to the National Volunteer Fire Council and the National Fire Protection Association.

This year, grant recipients spanned 15 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington and Wisconsin. Grants were awarded based on critical need to ensure firefighter safety as well as proximity to a Georgia-Pacific facility.